In wireless communication systems, recent developments have been made using technologies wherein multiple signals are simultaneously transmitted over a single transmission path. In Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), the frequency spectrum is divided into sub-channels. Information (e.g. voice, video, audio, text, etc.) is modulated and transmitted over these sub-channels at different sub-carrier frequencies.
In Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) schemes, the sub-carrier frequencies are spaced apart by precise frequency differences. Because of the ability of OFDM systems to overcome the multiple path effects of the channel, and to transmit and receive large amounts of information, much research has been performed to advance this technology. By using multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas in OFDM systems, it is possible to increase the capacity of transmitted and received data while generally using the same amount of bandwidth as in a system with one transmit and one receive antenna.
OFDM technologies are typically divided into two categories. The first category is the Single-Input, Single-Output (SISO) scheme, which utilizes a single transmitting antenna to transmit radio frequency (RF) signals and a single receiving antenna to receive the RF signals. The second category is the Multi-Input, Multi-Output (MIMO) scheme, which uses multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas.
In typical communication systems, training symbols, or preamble, at the beginning of data frames, are usually added as a prefix to the data symbols. The data symbols, of course, include the useful data or information (e.g., voice, data, video, etc.), which is meant to be transmitted to a remote location. The training symbols in SISO systems are used to provide synchronization of the received signals with respect to the transmitted signals, as well as to provide channel parameter estimation.
Although training symbols used for SISO systems can be used to provide synchronization in a MIMO system, the training symbols cannot provide for channel parameter estimation in the MIMO system. In fact, no method or apparatus exists for MIMO systems that are capable of providing time and frequency synchronization as well as channel parameter estimation. Thus, a need exists for a method and apparatus that is capable of providing time and frequency synchronization in MIMO systems and can further perform channel estimation.